Road auger boring machine



1953 1. R. SMITH ROAD AUGER BORING MACHINE Filed June 29, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet l 'llene R. Smith IN V EN TOR.

v R m mm mm um um 9Q 5mm v vm l E Q |1!-1 Jan. 13, 1953 1. R. SMITH ROAD AUGER BORING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 29, 1950 Ilene R. Smilh INVENTOR.

Jan. 13, 1953 1. R. SMITH ROAD AUGER BORING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 29, 1950 INVENTOR. 005' Ilene R. Smith BY M Patented Jan. 13, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROAD AUGER BORING MACHINE Ilene R. Smith, Kilgore, Tex. Application June 29, 1950, Serial No. 171,009

7 Claims. 1

This invention comprises novel and useful improvements in a road auger boring machine and more specifically pertains to a boring and drilling apparatus for horizontal drilling operations.

The primary object of this invention is to pro vide a drilling apparatus specifically designed for boring holes and tunnels under roads, highways, railroads, canals, small rivers, and the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide a drilling apparatus capable of boring tunnels or passages of from 2 to 36 inches in diameter and from '50 to 200 feet in length.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved drilling apparatus in which a drilling shaft is rotatably carried by a carriage, the latter being capable of longitudinal guided movement in the direction of the drillin shaft while maintaining an unbroken driving connection with the drill shaft.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved driving assembly for selectively imparting controlled longitudinal travel to the carriage and for selectively and at varying speeds continuously operating the drilling shaft during such travel.

3 Yet another important object of the invention is to provide a drilling apparatus in conformity with the foregoing object in-which provision is made for supplying a, drilling or cooling fluid to the drilling shaft, through the same through the drill bit assembly, which shall be operated during the drilling operation.

These, together with various ancillary features and objects of the invention which will later become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by the present invention, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated, by way of example only, in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

- Figure 1 is a top plan view of a suitable apparatus incorporating therein the principles of this invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the drilling apparatus shown in Figure l;

, Figure 3 .is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 3-3 of Figure 1 and showing s'omeof the interior construction of the carriage assembly;

Figure 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 4-4 of Figure 1 through the carriage assembly and showing the association of the feed screw and of the drill shaft therewith; and

Figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through the carriage assembly taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the sec tion line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Referring now more specifically to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, it will be seen that the apparatus incorporating therein the principles of this invention consists of a supporting frame of any desired character, indicated generally by the numeral 10, upon which is mounted a source of power such as an internal combustion engine, indicated generally bythe numeral l2, and havin tracks which may conveniently take the form of channel iron members l4 upon which is mounted for longitudinal travel a carriage assembly indicated generally by the numeral i6 and provided with supporting axles I 8 and wheels 20 by means of which the carriage is movably mounted upon the trackway.

Journaled in suitable supporting brackets in the supporting framework I 0 and between and slightly above the tracks [4 are a feed screw 22 and a drive shaft 24, the feed screw having any desired pitch of thread along its length, while the drive shaft 24 is preferably of a non-circular cross-section, a square shape being indicated, for a purpose which will later be set forth.

The carriage assembly has openings therethrough receiving the feed screw and the drive shaft so that the'carriage is movable longitudinally of the same in a manner and for a purpose to be subsequently set forth.

As shown best in Figure 1, the feed screw and drive shaft are journaled in suitable journal bearings of any desired character, indicated at 26 and 28, respectively, and are capable of selective and relatively variable operation from the power source l2 by an operating means to be subsequently disclosed.

Reference is now made more specifically to Figures 3-5 for an understanding of the construction of the carriage assembly, the manner in which the same is associated with, the feed screw and drive shaft and with a drill operating means.

The carriage assembly Ill comprises front and rear substantially vertical metal plates 30 and 32 to which are welded side plates 34 and 36, see Figure 3, which thus form a box-like receptacle which is open at its top and bottom. The end plates 30 and 32 are provided with apertures 38 and 49 for loosely receiving the feed screw 22 and the drive shaft 24 therethrough.

As will be apparent from Figure 4, the end plate 32 has fixedly secured in any desired manher upon its inner surface and over the aperture an internally threaded member or nut 42 which is screw threaded upon the feed screw 22 but is thus fixedly secured to the carriage It. It will thus be apparent that as the feed screw is rotated, its engagement with the nut member 42 will cause an axial movement of the carriage relative to the feed screw, this movement being permitted by the rolling and supporting engagement of the'wheels 20 upon the track i i-embers L4.

Referring now more specificallyto Figures 3 and 5, it will be seen that the inner surfaces of the plates 39 and 32 are provided with hearing boxes 44 disposed about the apertures 49, which contain anti-friction bearing assemblies 45; of

any desired character, these bearing" assemblies iournaling therebetween a sleeve 48 havinga non-r circular axial bore 50 adaptedtdnon-iotatably but slidably receive the drive shaft ZQJ'IHFSei: mediate its ends, the sleeve 48 has fixedly secured h reto a ss si lwt star wh r y. ow o ation mparted to the. sle ve. 8, hr. the drive h 4. r d s o whe er hef amiie e stationary or is moving longitudinally of the feed ew. r e a t and't a la my be transm tt ia i en m mber as. et p ih. ereina ter.-

A w be ur her appa ent tram F ure 5 it 4 same, or facilitate the drilling operation as de= sired, is operatively connected to the rear end of the drill shaft 56.

For that purpose, the rear plate 32 of the carriage is provided with a rearwardly extending bracket 82 which embraces and extends rearwardly from the journal box EB and has a cylindrical housing 84 suitably detachably connected to the bracket in a rigid manner, this housing containing" a packing grandee "which slidably embracesihe drill snail-I and compresses a suitable packing or sealing means 88 within the cylindrical housing 84, thereby preventing any leakage of fluid between the housing 84 and the drill shaft 55." By means of a tubular nipple 90 extending through the rear end of the housing wil 'be seen t a he, earin a semb e s o pre en 'endwise'm ementi Q t e s e v 4.3 bet een t nd. pl es. 35. andifi aswe s e v o. journ l the ve 48. r otati n The end plates Stand 32.. are furthe provided with apertures 552 through which extend a drill shaft 56, whose ends extend, beyond both of. the

end plates. In order to, J'ournalfand retain the drill shaft '56. andsustain the, end thrust on the same-bearing boxes 58. and, Glare mountedupon the, outer surfaces ofthe end plates 3B. and 3.2 and are removably retainedthereon as by fastening bolts orthe like 62. These bearing. boxes have outwardly opening chambers whichreceive the anti-friction bearing assemblies 64.. therein, these bearing "assemblies, being" retained. "in place by collars'fifi; having s'etJscrews 58;? As willfbe apparent fromFig'ure 4, the collars serve. to. retain theibearing assemblies in their journal boxes and also to" secure "the" drill shaft '56. against'endwise movement relative to thecarriage, while permitting freei otative movement? Suitablvsecured to the "drill shaft 56. intermediate" its ends is aflsprocketgear 19 which is operatively connected to "the sprocket gear 52 0f the sleeve 48 by"a"=drivingmeans"consisting of. asprocket chain i2? 'It'vvill'b'e'notedthat the, front end. of the drillshaft SS'isprovided'WitHa socket M'inwhich' may be detach'a-bly' mounted and secured a drill oraugerbitbfi anvde's'ired character, such as the auger bit indicated in d'otted'linesgat'ls in Figure 1, this auger bit being disposedabove the feed screw 212 and extending for waircllv frornithe,

supporting frame [0 The' iin. shait i urthe vid d t xial. b.o-re. 8.. x ending ough u he length of. the same, this here communicating with the socket 'lli'fandlwith "the customary bare or pas sages provided drilling'rstein, ass blies with'which the device. is

tobe empioyeei. A flexible conduit so which may:

be extendedtof'anv s able fluidpressure sou ce whereby suitable the form of a gas or liquid may besupplied'under pressure tothe.

interior of the drill snare a-jn'd from thence to the in r o fif hs userf 1 i l it tassel-jibe iii'the auger bitspdlfill bit-8,

8 the. ]?!prairientioned flexible conduit 89 is connectedtoand' in communication with the interior of; thehousing 84. It will thus be apparent that the source of fluid under pressure is at all times cqmm m afien w h. m te s-.1 w ihl t dr ll sha t Whilsihe ages s wearaarms the. de ise" f r clecn e t. that s po ra nisei eqnrsei a y b n uni a f desire w ll. be s: iating a drilling or boring. am e in. bor ng a tu n l.

5.. at he. ear a end i auger e u ed in the socket I4 of the -s 1fiaft, and power p ed to hsd 'ive shaft 4. wh ch. thr u h ite'ekst seari assembly, w hi the. arr a e. e fe t re a qne the r ll sha nd. an r hi rea @Q .ai qeq he feed pr e h carr e, tegeiher.Wiihiha usenb t w the 12:8 advanced at n stab e andsent el d ra a nst. the surface to be drilled, and the drilling operation Will. be q iinued. at. an des red ate. of. ee Pil twaqe ii sq leve .d. t he f rward. d, i-t e sdseretit this ime. emptation otthe feed screwy llbereversed to retract the. arriag gase ..i e x sns ens l ea n ied to the auger bit and drill shaft in orde toad-1 va -92m? .ai m: i? 9 efieci. he. ompletion of h s rediunnel .est-Operat on.

' rt rence is now made; more particular yto it iellefk 2.9., The nqwennlant lz snr videa illie. @9 9) Miami clutch assembly, h i ine, of;.which is, ndicated generally by the. numeral- 92 and having a control lever 911; Extending from thisiclutch is afpo'wer shaft 58 connected by any" pon 91}. i l flr 1:. arm mmmiedau oub e s. wn ns, of. a. f rst sprocket gear as i etsi. ceases y. ths pi'qskst hain. 2-0,

and a second sprocket I26 which is connected si as a wars; oasi 'e'ga-ymz with a sprocket 12s on the drive shaft 24 by a sprocket chain I30.

While it is understood that any desired type of engine, clutch assembly and transmission change speed gearings may be employed in the driving train hereinbefore described, one satisfactory arrangement for the purpose of this invention may consist of any desired form of engine I2 such as a 15 horsepower gasoline engine, and which operates at approximately 1600 R. P. M., while the clutch assembly 92 may conveniently comprise a twin disk clutch. Each of the transmission gearing assemblies I62 and H2 may consist of a heavy-duty, special Ford truck trans mission having four speeds forward andone reverse speed. It will thus be apparent that great flexibility and variation of speed may be obtained in driving the drive shaft 24 from the power plant I2.

It is, however, desirable to operate the feed shaft at various selected speeds in accordance with the type of work being performed by the machine, and especially at variable rates with respect to the rotation of the drive shaft. For this purpose, a special drill feeding mechanism is provided for obtaining a reversible and highly variable drive of the feed screw. For this purpose, the input shaft IIO of the second transmission casing H2 is provided with a sprocket gear I32 which operates by means of a sprocket chain I34 a driven sprocket gear I36 by means of which power is applied tothe input side of a hydraulic transmission casing indicated generally by the numeral I 38. This hydraulic transmission assembly may be of any known conventional design and it is to be understood that the principles of the present invention are not limited to any particular type of such transmission. However, the hydraulic transmission is provided with a control knob I40 and the speed ratio control r adjusting lever I42. By this means, the output shaft of the hydraulic casing, not shown, but connected to the sprocket chain I44, may have its direction of rotation selectively reversed through the control member I4!) with respect to the rotation of the driving sprocket gear I35; and by means of the lever I42, the speed of rotation of the output shaft may be varied from zero to a maximum in either direction of rotation with respect to the driving sprocket I36.

The sprocket chain I44 connects the sprocket attached to the output shaft of the hydraulic transmission to a sprocket gear I46 carried by one end of a lay shaft I48 suitably journaled as by bearings I513 upon the supporting framework I0, this lay shaft having a further sprocket gear I52 which is connected to a sprocket gear I54 on the feed screw 22, as by a sprocket chain I55.

By the foregoing arrangement, it is evident that the feed screw 22 may have its direction of rotation varied as desired and have its speed of travel varied from zero to a maximum in either direction of rotation at any time without affecting the speed of rotation of the driving shaft 24. Thus, while the driving shaft, and consequently the drill shaft and the auger bit, may be rotated continuously at a uniform speed, the carriage I6 and consequently the drill shaft 56 and auger bit assembly may be fed into the work at any desired rate of speed; may be held stationary so that the auger bit may function to remove the material drilled or bored; and may be retracted at any speed and even stopped at any time as desired in order to permit the removal, replace- 6 ment or servicing of the auger or drill bit assemblies.

It is to be understood that the machine'may be constructed of any desired size, and as so far described the machine is capable of handling auger bits for effecting borings from 2 to 36 inches in diameter and from 50 to 200 feet in length. Conveniently, augers of up to six feet in length are intended to be employed, and the travel of the carriage along the feed screw is approximately six feet at a normal constant feed rate of approximately 5 to 48 inches per minute.

From the foregoing, it is felt that the construction and operation of the invention together with its many advantages will be readily apparent, and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the foregoing specification and accompanying drawings, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, but all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A drilling machine comprising a support frame having a track, a carriage mounted for movement upon said track, a feed screw and a drive shaft journaled in said frame and extending through said carriage, a drill shaft iournaled in saidcarriage and carried thereby, driving means in said carriage operatively connecting said drill shaft and drive shaft, a nut secured to said carriage and journaled on the feed screw for moving the carriage upon rotation of the feed screw, operating means for said feed screw and for said drive shaft, said operating means including a power shaft and a fluid transmission having an infinite number of forward and reverse speed ratios connected with said power shaft and said feed screw.

2. A drilling machine comprising a support frame having a track, a carriage mountedfor movement upon said track, a feed screw and a drive shaft journaled in said frame and extending through said carriage, a drill shaft joumaled in said carriage and carried thereby, driving means in said carriage operatively connecting said drill shaft and drive shaft, means on said carriage operatively connecting the same to said feed screw, independently driving said feed screw and said drive shaft, said operating means including a power shaft and a fluid transmission having an infinite number of forward and reverse speed rlatios connecting said feed screw with said power S aft.

3. A drilling machine comprising a support frame having a track, a carriage mounted for movement upon said track, a feed screw and a drive shaft journaled in said frame and extending through said carriage, a drill shaft journaled in said carriage and carried thereby, driving means in said carriage operatively connecting said drill shaft and drive shaft, means on said carriage operatively connecting the same to said feed screw, operating means for selectively and independently operating said feed screw and said drive shaft, said operating means including a power shaft and a pair of change speed mechanisms operatively connecting said power shaft with said feed screw and said drive shaft, the change speed gearing mechanism connecting said feed screw operating means for selectively and:

7 with said power shaft consisting of a fluid transmission having an infinite number of forward and reverse speed ratios.

4. A drilling machine comprising a support frame having a. track, a carriage mounted for movement upon said track, a feed screw and a drive shaft journaled in said frame and extending through said carriage, a drill shaft journaled in said carriage and carried thereby, driving means in said carriage operatively connecting said drill shaft and drive shaft, means on said carriage operatively connecting the same to said feed screw, a power shaft on said frame, means connecting said power shaft with said feed screw and said drive shaft for selectively and independently driving said drive shaft and said feed screw at varying speeds and in reverse directions to one another, said last means including a fluid trans mission having an infinite number of forward and reverse speed ratios connecting said feed screw with said power shaft.

8. A drilling machine comprising a support frame. having a track, a carriage mounted for movement upon said track, a feed screw and a drive shaft journaled in said frame and extending consisting of a fluid; transmission having an in finite number of forward and reversespeed: ratios.

61. A. drilling machine comprising a support frame; having a, track; a carriage mounted for movement: upon. said. track, a. feed screw andv a drive shaft. ioinfnaled: in said. frame: and extending through said carriage, a drill shaft journaled in Said carriagev and carried thereby, drixdng' meansin said carriage operatively connecting said drill Shaft and drive; shaft, means on said carriage Operatiyelr connecting the; same tosaid: feed screw 4 01 movement therealong; a. power shaft on said frame, separate operating means connecting said feed screw and said drive shaft to said power shaft, said operating means for said feed screw consisting of a fluid transmission having an infinite number of forward and reverse speed ratios, said driving means including a sleeve slidahly and non-rotatably receiving said drive shaft and being journaled at its ends to the end walls of said carriage, and means connecting the drill shaft to the sleeve for simultaneous rotation therewith.-

7. A drilling machine comprising a support frame having a track, a carriage mounted ror movement upon said track, a feed screw and a drive shaft journaled in said frame and extending through said carriage. a drill shaft journaled in said carriage and carried thereby, driving means in said carriage operatively connecting said drill shaft and drive shaft, means on said carriage 012- eratively connecting the same to feed screw for movement therealong, operating means for said feed screw and for said carriage for selectively and independently operating said feed screw and said drive shaft at varying speeds with respect to one another, said operating means including a power shaft, a fluid transmission having an infinite number of forward and reverse speed ratios connecting said feed screw to said power shaft.

B. SMITH.

REFERENCES The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,310,274 Br'anning July 15, 1919 1,427,524 Edens et a1 Aug. 29, 1922' 1,498,062 Albaugh Julie 17, 1924 1,812,719 Schroder June 30, 1931' 1,932,068 Englebright et all Oct. 24, 1933 2,165,666 Tilly July 11;, 1939 2,196,260 Gatto' Apr. 9; 1-940 FOREIGN.- PATENTS Number Country Date 11,309 Australia Feb; 13,- 1933- 

